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Participating Ensembles:
Lincoln College Chamber Choir
The Lincoln College Chamber Choir is an auditioned group composed primarily of voice majors, voice minors, and students receiving choir scholarships who also sing in the Lincoln College Chorale. The Chamber Choir sings a variety of repertoire, including the classical, musical theater, jazz, Motown, opera, and pop/contemporary genres. The choir maintains a highly active and rigorous performance schedule. It is often invited to represent the vocal program and sing at on- and off-campus events, including alumni gatherings, admissions events, and meetings of the Lincoln College Board of Trustees. The Lincoln College Chamber Choir is under the direction of Laurie Lewis-Fritz.
West Islip High School Chorale
Chorale is an audition-based ensemble comprised of the most talented vocal students at West Islip High School. They study a range of composers and musical genres, and have performed on numerous stages throughout the United States and Canada including notable venues such as Carnegie Hall. Chorale has earned many awards including Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA’s Major Organization Festival. Each year several students from Chorale are chosen for Regional, State, and National choral honors, and many have gone on to pursue careers in music. Chorale is honored to have been invited to perform in this prestigious concert, and sends their deepest appreciation to DCINY and Eric Whitacre for the opportunity of a lifetime.
Bella Musica
Bella Musica is a select women’s ensemble established with the desire of several ladies to sing together with the ability to perform choral Music at any level of difficulty. Bella enriches the lives of its performers and audiences by bringing together individuals of diverse backgrounds and interests to share in the preparation and enjoyment of beautifully arranged pieces. The ensemble is comprised of dedicated musicians from various cities throughout the Texas Panhandle. Through their beauty and harmony, these musicians inspire groups and organizations throughout the region. Bella Musica rehearses year-round and performs for many community events. Their Christmas and spring concerts are well attended, and viewed as a family tradition for many in the community. Bella music it was established in 2013 and is located in Borger Texas.
San Jacinto Christian Academy High School Varsity Choir
San Jacinto Christian Academy was founded in 1982, and has a wonderful heritage of success in the Arts. SJCA members are inducted into the Texas All State Choir regularly, and receive the highest ratings at State Solo and Ensemble competitions as well as choral Outstanding Ratings at festivals and TAPPS competitions. Though the group may be small, they are mighty. SJCA thrives in allowing their students new experiences, such as the opportunity with DCINY this year.
Matawan HS Huskappella
The MRHS Huskapella was formed in 2011, and since then has won the county teen arts competition 6 years in a row. The ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall performing an Ola Glielo World Premiere, been invited to perform at the NJMEA conference to perform and give a workshop on inter-district collaboration, and has performed on stage with Our of the Blue (Cambridge Universities a capella Group)
Palm Desert High School Chamber Singers
CantaNOVA, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Mission Vista High School Festival Choir
The MVHS Festival Choir is made up of singers that come from a variety different choirs offered at Mission Vista High School, a performing arts magnet school in the small beach city of Oceanside, CA. In addition to being passionate singers, many of these students are very active in the diverse arts program offered at MVHS. Represented in the choir are visual artists, actors, dancers, and composers who met after school to rehearse for this special occasion.
Cantala Women's Choir
Founded in 2008, the CANTALA WOMEN’S CHOIR is an award-winning, vibrant young choral group in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada, choral community. Cantala is a “musical home” for those who have a passion for achieving choral excellence, have a great love of choral music and value the quality of life that singing brings to their lives. This past year Cantala received two Gold ratings at the Toronto, Ontario Kiwanis music Festival and earned the Barry Gosse Etobicoke Centennial Choir award. They went on to compete at the Ontario Provincial Choral competition and were awarded second place. This is an exciting time for Cantala as we celebrate our 10th season. In addition to participating with Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) we are excited to continue our recording project this spring with a projected release of our first digital recordings in the Fall of 2018.
Chemeketa Community College Concert Choir
The Chemeketa Community College Concert Choir is made up of singers from all walks of life. Some are full-time students at the college intending to pursue Music as a major at a university, following their two years at Chemeketa, while others simply come for the joy and fellowship of singing! The Concert Choir rehearses once a week and enjoys singing a variety of music throughout the year and performs three main concerts a year.
Vocal Academy @ St. James
Director Anne Marie Oldham studied classical voice, jazz piano and choral music education at University of Michigan and biology and law at University of California. After practicing corporate and international law for 20 years, she returned to music education. Ms. Oldham has a passion for combining the arts with cross-curricular and sustainability education and social justice. She has been the performing arts teacher and music director at St. James Academy in Solana Beach, California, for the past ten years. She is thankful to her husband and two children as well as her school and church community for their loving and unwavering support.
Anne Marie Oldham formed the private Vocal Academy@St. James at the request of graduates of St. James Academy. The Vocal Academy includes accomplished vocalists and musicians from three different high schools in North San Diego. Ms. Oldham and her students have been been honored to previously perform with DCINY at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Mr. Whitacre (2012) and Deke Sharon (2014-2018). We are grateful and inspired to be given the opportunity to perform for the first time at Lincoln Center with Mr. Whitacre.
Chamber Bravura
Chamber Bravura is an extra-curricular vocal performance organization that only meets once a week for two hours. It is comprised of 30 vocalists from various middle and high schools in the San Diego area, with the average age being 14 years old. These students perform rigorous choral music through a program of regular rehearsals and concerts. They strive to study and perform challenging and interesting music in a variety of genres. Chamber Bravura has performed in Carnegie Hall 5 times, including being the featured ensemble in Total Vocal 2 and 3 under the direction of Deke Sharon. Chamber Bravura performed a Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica as well as in the Florence Duomo and Pantheon in June, 2013. Chamber Bravura performed a concert tour of Austria and Prague in July, 2014 as well as a concert tour of Ireland, Wales, and England in July of 2015. Chamber Bravura just returned from a tour of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand where they received a Gold rating at an international choral festival, including a performance in the Sydney Opera House. As Chamber Bravura frequently uses Eric Whitacre's works in competitions and festivals, the students are thrilled to be working with him.
Chautauqua Lake Secondary Chorus
The Chautauqua Lake Secondary Chorus is a curricular ensemble open to students in grades 9-12. In addition to school performances the group hosts and participates in the NYSSMA Choral Major Organization Festival. The Chautauqua Lake Central School District is located in Mayville, NY and has around 900 students in grades pre-k through 12.
Oconee County High School Concert Choir
Oconee County High School is located in Watkinsville, Georgia and is one of two high schools in the county. The Concert Choir is made up of 9-12 grade students who come from different ensembles within Oconee County High School. These students have rehearsed long hours during class and outside of class in preparation for this concert. They are grateful to Mr. Eric Whitacre and DCINY for this opportunity to work with him and perform here tonight.
Collins Hill Mastery Chorus
The Collins Hill Mastery Chorus consists of 28 superior students. To be selected as a member of this choir, students must have passed a rigorous audition including solo, sight-reading, voice placement, and tonal memory. All students in the mastery choir have earned a 98 or higher percent in chorus for all years. This group is consistently sought after to perform at community events. This choir has received superior ratings in performance and sight-reading at Large Group Performance Evaluation for over ten years. These students represent the true vision of Collins Hill High School and Choral Department: pursue excellence in academic knowledge, skills, and behavior by providing meaningful and diverse learning opportunities for preparing our students to meet the challenges of the future as lifelong learners and responsible citizens.
Junction City Chamber Choir
Annika Stucky is in her second year as a music educator. At Junction City High School, she co-teaches three choirs, orchestra, piano, and co-directs the musical. In her first year at Junction City, her ensembles have received outstanding ratings at contest, including first place at the Festival of Music at Worlds of Fun; and performed at 4th Presbyterian Church in Chicago with René Clausen. She graduated suma cum laude from Kansas State University with degrees in Music Education and Spanish Education, and as the Outstanding Senior in Music Education. While at K-State, Mrs. Stucky was involved in numerous ensembles and performance opportunities, including trips abroad to Italy and France. She studied voice, piano, viola, and was involved with opera productions. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Stucky co-directs the Manhattan Parks and Recreation Youth Choir.
Chamber Choir is the top auditioned ensemble at Junction City High School. It is comprised of between 40 and 45 singers, ages 10th through 12th grade. Students in Chamber Choir compete for District and All-State Choirs and at Regional and State Solo and Small Ensemble contests. Chamber Choir has a long history of excellence, receiving excellent and superior ratings at contest. The choir has also had the privilege to perform under Dr. Joshua Oppenheim and Dr. Julie Yu from Kansas State University at Carnegie Hall in New York; and under Dr. René Clausen from Concordia College at the 4th Presbyterian Church in Chicago. In 2017, Chamber Choir was selected as a featured ensemble for the Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop Conference.
Northwood High School Chamber Singers
Blue Ridge High School Concert Choir
The Blue Ridge High School Concert Choir, under the direction of Laura G. Morris, has consistently received Superior ratings at contests in South Carolina and in the Southeast. Regularly placing in the top three at the SC State Choral Festival since 2000, the Concert Choir’s most notable performances garnered SC state championships won in the AA and AAA divisions respectfully in 2004, 2009, and 2014. The Honors Men’s Choir (comprised of the men in Concert Choir) placed first at the 2014 State Festival; they also placed third overall across all divisions. The Concert Choir has also recently become back-to-back State Champions in the state sight-singing competition as well, winning the title in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, the Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, and Honors Women’s Choir received Superiors with Distinction, the highest award one can receive. At the national Disney choral festival in 2015, the Concert Choir placed first nationally in their division and placed third overall across all divisions. Returning to the Disney Festival in 2016, the Honors Men’s Choir won first place overall and the Concert Choir placed fourth overall. In 2017, the Concert Choir received first place across all divisions at the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, TN. In 2016, the Concert Choir was selected to sing at the 2017 South Carolina SCMEA conference in Columbia, SC. Under Mrs. Morris' direction, the Concert Choir has also been selected to sing on the Greenville Chorale's holiday concert. In the spring of 2017, members of the Concert Choir sang with country music singer Eric Church when he performed in Greenville, SC. Students in the Concert Choir participate in the SCMEA All-State Choirs and the Greenville County District Honor Chorus.
Scotts Valley High School Choir
Scotts Valley High has been building its choir since the school's opening in 1999. The high school has a population of 800 students, with thirty-two students currently participating in choir. Over the last eight years the Scotts Valley High School Choir has sung at a variety of music festivals, including the Heritage Festival in Los Angeles in 2016 where they received a Silver rating and the "Los Angeles Spirit" Award from the festival directors for their enthusiasm and professional behavior. The SVHS choir has performed annually in the choral festival Sing For Your Life, sponsored by the Gold Standard Chorus of Santa Cruz . The student quartet, Falcon Four, has been a popular feature in the festival. Students from the choir are also selected every year to participate in the California Music Educators Association's Central Coast Honor Choir. The choir has also been an integral part of their community by performing in several local events sponsored by the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club. The choir is in its third year producing the annual Cabaret Night at their school. The night is completely comprised of music and choreography arranged and performed by the choir students. Students from the drama department and student government also participate, creating a collaborative night of song and dance for our community to enjoy. The Scotts Valley High School Choir is excited and honored to be working with Eric Whitacre and performing at the Lincoln Center. This has been a highlight in the music program and the singers are proud to be part of such an enriching musical experience.
Hwa-Yin Youth Chorale
The Northern New Jersey Chinese American Hwa-Yin Youth Chorale was founded in 1989 with the goal of nurturing, enriching, and broadening the cultural horizons of children through music education. Hwa-Yin is a non-profit, self-funded organization currently under the direction of Mrs. Shinwen Chung. Our members, whose grades range from second to twelve, compose a very diverse group from all over Northern New Jersey. They rehearse every Sunday afternoon during the school year. Hwa-Yin represents not only a venue by which to gain music skill and appreciation, but also an opportunity to learn about global musical cultures and make local connections.